Flawed Boeing Mission To Return To Earth Via Rival SpaceX — But Not Until February

Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were expected to only stay eight days at the ISS, but face a possible eight-month wait to return home (Credit: AFP)

Two US astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner will have to return home with rival SpaceX, NASA said Saturday, in a fresh public relations blow to the crisis-hit aviation giant.

The return of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams has been delayed for weeks by thruster malfunctions of the Boeing spacecraft and NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced they will come back to Earth in February, while Starliner will return uncrewed.